Lost Brother
by AlinoValiant
Summary: Agon and Hooktail have started off well into their friendship, but the human felt an obligation to strengthen the relation by discovering the fate of her older brother, Gloomtail. He finds himself venturing into the Palace of Shadow through the Thousand-Year Door to search for the black dragon.
1. Finding Gloomtail - First Half

**Lost Brother – Part 1**

"So, how does it feel to finally get some fresh air after being holed up in your castle for who knows how long?" asked Agon.

"It's fantastic. I've been wanting to take flight for such a long time. I have to thank you for finding and choosing to be friends with a formerly ruthless dragon such as I." replied Hooktail brightly, enjoying the open teal skies and the vast blue ocean below.

The two of them were flying over the vibrant waters of Rogueport, seemingly having no particular destination in mind. Interestingly enough, the nearby dockworkers didn't take notice of a gigantic 50 foot dragoness passing by, perhaps because they were intent upon their work loading and unloading crates from the freight ships that periodically weaved in and out. It was a beautiful day with no chances of precipitation or gusty winds, ideal for outside activities and events.

"Well, I'm certainly glad to have met you then," said Agon in a lively voice. "It isn't everyday that I get to be friends with a dragon of mythology."

"Thanks. While we're talking to each other, why don't you tell me about yourself?" she said.

"Uh, well, I'm basically a wanderer or nomad. I just travel around sightseeing and trying to get by on my own. I don't have a place to call home as you can see, but the benefit is that I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want. Mostly though, I roam the lands, seeking treasure and adventure. Gives me something to do."

The huge red dragon nodded, listening well as she continued to rove over the sea in a loose circle.

"What about your family? Do you keep in touch with your parents?" Hooktail questioned.

The twenty-six year old's facial features became somewhat grim upon hearing the question. He delayed for a few seconds before answering.

"They're all dead. My dad, mom, older brother, all dead." stated Agon brusquely.

"I'm sorry to have asked you such a question..." she said apologetically.

"It's okay, I had to tell someone sooner or later."

There was a moment's silence, apart from the great dragon's crimson wings flapping noisily in rhythm. Agon's expression was still fairly earnest as he was mulling over some things in his mind.

"I think, once we get to know each other a bit more, I may eventually tell you about my past." he finally said, his voice coming out a bit rough.

"Please do so at your own convenience," said Hooktail tenderly. "I don't want to force information out of you."

He caressed her neck affectionately in return, causing the enormous dragoness to blush just a tiny bit.

"...What of your brothers?" inquired Agon carefully.

"They, too, are also deceased. Mario killed them while he was on his way to slay my mistress, the Shadow Queen."

"Are you sure? Bonetail, I could understand because he was technically dead already, just resurrected by the Shadow Queen. How about Gloomtail though? Surely he, too, survived in the same matter as you?"

She perked up slightly upon the last part of his sentence.

"Perhaps, but we don't know that for certain."

"It's possible that your other brother may still be alive, just recuperating from his wounds. If I could go into the Palace of Shadow and check it out myself..." said Agon, beginning to formulate a plan.

Hooktail was anxiously excited at the idea. The possibility of Gloomtail surviving was, indeed, tempting...

"You would do that for me?" she asked with increasing wonder.

"Why not? I found **you**, so maybe I could search for your brother as well. It's not like I have anything better to do, what with being a lone wolf and all."

"Agon, I..." she started, but wavered in her speech. "Thank you."

The dark brown eyed man simply nodded and pointed in the direction of Rogueport. He wanted to put part of her mind at ease by volunteering to search for Gloomtail in the Palace of Shadow.

"Drop me off at the docks. After that, go back to the castle. I know you aren't evil anymore, but the people of this land probably don't have the same mentality as I do. Or just continue spreading your wings in the skies, it don't matter to me that much. I'm confident that you can take care of yourself if necessary."

"You got it, friend." said Hooktail in acknowledgment.

* * *

Soon after, Agon leaped off of the red and yellow beast and landed on the wooden pier, performing a forward roll to soften the impact. It was only after this particular entrance that the preoccupied dockworkers took notice; witnessing a massive dragon right in front of them was impossible to ignore. All of them had similar expressions of amazement, astonishment and total shock. One of them, a burly pianta dressed in a sailor's outfit, walked over to Agon and asked him about Hooktail.

"Yes, she and I **are** friends. I'm genuinely surprised that you know about Hooktail, though." Agon said, answering the sailor's question.

"Rumors spread around real quickly in these parts, you know. That's the word of mouth for you." the pianta sailor said, before returning to work, cleaning the barnacles off of one of the ships.

A few minutes after addressing the same types of questions from the others, Agon made his way toward the central plaza, scanning the town's condition:

There was graffiti of coarse language and violent images plastered on almost every wall, while many of the townspeople either shot sneering looks or gestured offensively at the black armored human. There was a gallows, used for executing 'select' individuals via hanging or otherwise instilling fear to discourage its inhabitants. The rest of the plaza was generally run-down and aged, as though no one bothered with any form of maintenance. Crime was rampant as the town had virtually no law enforcement, further emphasizing the rise of illegal activities. This wretched hive of scum and villainy stood true to its infamous name.

He strolled his way toward the eastern part of Rogueport, but found himself halted by an unfriendly-looking guard holding a spear. He wore a light green hat with a horizontal white stripe, a dark olive bandanna around his neck, a matching vest, dark gray trousers, white wristbands and no shoes. This person gave Agon a dark look, brandishing his weapon defensively.

"Where do you think you're going, stranger?"

"I'm just passing through, I want no trouble, son."

The guard snorted in disbelief, taking one step forward.

"With that kind of gear? You must think I'm stupid or something. If you're going through here, the price is fifty gold coins."

"I don't have any money." Agon stated calmly.

"Then, you've got a problem. No payment, no entry. Now get out!" the guard barked loudly.

Agon narrowed his eyes, advancing toward the spear man.

"Or what?"

"Or I'm going to beat you down senselessly. You better know who you're dealing with, bitch."

"I don't think challenging me is a wise idea," said Agon, beginning to get irritated. "Maybe you should stand aside so the both of us can avoid unneeded bloodshed."

He attempted to brush past the guard, only to get blocked and pushed back roughly. The guard readied his long spear, bringing himself into a fighting stance.

"You're not getting through here without dealing with me first. Hope you're ready for this, because I'm going to take great pleasure in kicking your sorry ass." the spear man exclaimed, challenging the human.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but so be it! I'll decorate the floor with your blood and guts!" said Agon threateningly, pounding his right fist into his left palm repeatedly.

Using his explosive shotgun would draw far too much attention this early. He resorted to melee combat, putting his abilities to the test. As they stared each other down with the strongest glare possible, some of the nearby townspeople, both civilians and criminals alike, watched from afar, eager to see some action. They slowly began to congregate around the scene as they started shouting out fighting words.

Immediately, the guard thrust his spear forward; Agon dodged to the right and wrapped his left arm around the spear and pulled it toward him, knocking down the guard with a shoulder block. He broke the weapon into two by snapping it against his knee. The other combatant realized what had happened and charged at Agon, smashing his face with a brutal forearm. This sent the smaller man backwards, almost tripping onto the ground as the guard quickly followed up by grappling Agon and slamming him against a wall. He rebounded from the impact and fell over face-first, stunned by the attack.

A few members of the crowd 'oohed' and grimaced at the sight, while others cheered on, shouting out vulgar swears and phrases normally uttered in a bar. A short man in a green robe wearing a white mask pumped his fist vigorously while yelling out, "Yeah! Show that bastard no mercy! I wanna taste the blood from here!"

The larger of the two marched toward Agon and started to force him up... only to get tripped onto the hard cobblestone from a sudden drop toe hold. The short human grabbed the guard's ankle and attempted to lock in a submission hold. However, his opponent recovered and kicked him off with both feet. He rushed at Agon, wildly swinging his fists left and right, to which the twenty-six year old managed to either block or evade successfully. The guard then kicked his opponent in the groin (to which the crowd reacted with a mixture of sympathy and cold blooded cruelty), breaking his defense entirely. He took this chance to deliver a devastating spinning backfist at the face, knocking Agon down.

The smaller man's face had ugly purple bruises as he was bleeding from the mouth, nose and one of his eyes. He was clutching at his sore spot, unable to act against his adversary. The guard smirked wickedly, picking him up by the neck with one hand.

"You're weak. You couldn't beat me, even after you disarmed and broke my spear," he said to Agon, laughing victoriously while choking him. "Now, I'm going to finish the job."

He was trying to crush the human's neck while the vicious crowd continually chanted in a hypnotized frenzy, "Finish him! Finish him off now!"

Out of sheer desperation, Agon clawed, or rather gouged the guard's eyes out, momentarily blinding him. He grappled him and began throwing a series of knees, left and right, before finishing the combo with a powerful roundhouse kick directed at his face. The tough fighter was rendered unconscious as he laid on his right side, his head partially busted open.

The crowd clapped, whooped and cheered at Agon, both in awe of his sudden comeback and the fact that they got to see someone get knocked out, before dispersing from the scene. One of them even bellowed out that he was 'da man'.

Rubbing his throat soothingly, Agon took a brief moment to catch his breath: his face was sweating, bleeding and ebbing with pain while his groin still stung from the low blow earlier in the fight. The black SWAT armor he wore was mangled, but still provided enough protection from small firearms. He winced as he straightened up, noting that his back was also injured from being slammed against a brick wall. During the skirmish, his shotgun had been tossed around and beaten up beyond repair; he would have to rely on his fists for the time being until he found another weapon.

The young man carefully proceeded through the way, finding a warp pipe just outside of Professor Frankly's house. Luckily, no one else decided to pick a fight with him, though it didn't stop some of the more brutal suspects eyeing him maliciously.

'_I think this pipe is connected to the Rogueport Sewers,_' he thought, inspecting it. '_Should be able to get to the Thousand-Year Door this way. Too bad I can't use my shotgun now..._'

Wiping most of the sticky blood off of his bruised face, Agon jumped into the green warp pipe.

Unbeknownst to the small human, someone was watching him, following him, keeping distance between the two of them.

This mysterious being revealed itself seemingly out of nowhere for one moment: it was not any of the usual Rogueport thugs, but rather in the form of a tall golden fox with amber yellow and snow-white fur, a long and thick tail, paws for hands and feet, pointed ears and a pair of cobalt eyes. It was also wearing purple gloves with yin-yang emblems, a dark purple scarf wrapped around the neck and a matching hood that concealed much of its face. There was an intricate design of a scarlet blade with dripping blood embedded onto its right thigh, of which was in contrast to the purple and yellow scheme. Attached to her waistband was a lengthy spectral blade suited for quick stealthy kills.

As it contemplated the grimy surroundings, many of the same people who had been giving Agon some 'choice' looks suddenly became terrified upon seeing the mystifying creature. Nearly everyone hid in alleyways, behind crates, barrels and other objects, or hurried their pace. Despite the eastern side of Rogueport being full of tough guys and brigands, no one seemed to be brave or foolish enough to pick a fight, let alone approach the hooded figure.

This otherworldly slender creature observed the same spot where Agon had been just a moment ago, before literally disappearing into thin air as it went down the pipe. The denizens of eastern Rogueport were in such a high state of fear that they did not witness the golden fox successfully vanishing without a trace; it was comparable to an invisible shadow that stalked its prey without being seen or heard. Who or what was this shady character and was it an ally or an enemy? The answers were unclear.

* * *

Meanwhile, Agon navigated through the dank sewers, having fought through various Goombas and Koopa Troopas and getting lost in the process, before eventually reaching the place itself: the fabled Thousand-Year Door. Along the way, he had found a small town with some people living in it, much to his surprise. There was even a shop that sold some rare goods, though he had no coins to buy any of it.

'_Who would have thought there would be people in this dark and wet subterranean area?_' the small man thought to himself. '_They don't seem to be fazed by their surroundings either. I guess it was a way to escape the crime-filled disaster from above or something, I'm not exactly sure._'

He faced the ominous double doors, apprehensive of the dangers that laid ahead. Its design glowed eminently, displaying the seven stars in their respective colors. This was the place that once contained the evil Shadow Queen and her cronies. It was also the same Palace of Shadow that used to house one of her guardians, Gloomtail, before Mario defeated him and vanquished the Queen. He raised questions inside of his curious mind:

Could Hooktail's dragon brother really still be alive, even after the events that took place? How would he react to Agon when he confronted him? Was it a terribly ludicrous plan to go hunting for another fire-breathing mythological creature?

He was both psyched and a bit scared at the same time; Hooktail may have been easy to befriend, but the dark brown eyed human was positive that Gloomtail would likely react in an opposite matter. Agon would not know for certain unless he actually found out. He remembered he tasked himself with this quest for the sake of his new friend, so it had to be done.

Steeling himself for the perilous journey into the deepest reaches of Rogueport, he opened the doors, which gave out a resonating creak before shutting itself behind him with a reverberating slam, like that of someone dropping a phone book inside a great hall. He was inside the Palace of Shadow, looking around to see a red carpeted hallway with parallel stone pillars and an unreachable upper balcony. Even though the small man was capable of hand-to-hand combat, it would prove dangerous still due to the lack of a ranged weapon, so he hoped (with doubt) that there wouldn't be too much resistance on his way.

Agon walked over to the end of the short corridor and, after a long hesitation, gently pushed the large door open. There was no turning back now.


	2. Finding Gloomtail - Second Half

**Lost Brother – Part 2**

Hooktail was flying around her castle, still putting her wings to the test. After all, she had been stuck in her chamber for an insurmountable amount of time, so it was justified. She took the time to gaze upon her surroundings: the clear baby blue sky with a few clouds scattered here and there, the brilliant golden light that was the sun, the rolling hills, grassy plains, trees of various sizes, rivers and even some of the places of interest such as the upbeat Glitz Pit hovering up high and the peaceful town of Petalburg. The massive female red dragon couldn't get enough of the view, for every single moment of it felt like exploring an entirely new world.

"Such a wonderful sight to behold," said Hooktail, captivated in her sightseeing. "And to think that this is happening because of that little human who visited me earlier... He was the only one willing to approach me in my sanctum, despite my reputation for what I had done in the past and he wanted to be friends with someone like me? I marvel at both his courage and goodness."

She was in deep thought, remembering the recent encounter with Agon. The conversation that took place came back to her easily as the voices echoed in her mind:

"_I was wondering if you wanted to... you know... be friends? With me? I'll understand if you say no._" he had asked.

"_Of course, little human. I'd love that very much._" was Hooktail's response to the question.

"_Oh, wow. Really? Are you sure you're not attempting to fool me? Like you tried to do with the 1 000 coins, the rare badge and the offer to smell your feet?_"

"_I forgot about those old tricks of mine, but in all seriousness, I __**do**__ mean it. I think I would genuinely like to be friends with you. You're the first to approach me about the possibilities of bonding._"

"_Thanks, Hooktail. You are not such a bad dragon after all. I can hardly believe this is actually happening, a relation between dragon and human._"

"_Indeed, I hope that the two of us will make this peculiar friendship work somehow._"

The huge dragoness found herself both curious and overjoyed that there was someone out there choosing to be her friend. She made a mental note to ask Agon about why he was being friendly toward her, given that she was once a servant of the Shadow Queen. Surely he had known that? And yet, he was her friend now...

The female dragon was fully aware that, at the time, if Agon had arrived at her castle, she would have simply devoured him or pretended to be friends before eating him without hesitation. He gambled his life; a terrifying people-eating, fire-breathing beast like Hooktail wasn't exactly an ideal friend in a conventional sense.

"I guess the defeat of my mistress really opened my mind entirely..." she said quietly, landing in the Petalburg Meadows to rest for a moment. "I don't even have the desire to be an evil dragon anymore. My desire for company was the only thing that mattered to me."

Indeed, this appeared to be an entirely new Hooktail that was emerging from the shell of her former self. She was uncertain on how it had come to this, but she realized that Agon was the first and **only** being to ever come to her for companionship. Then she thought of his conviction and determination to seek out the fate of Gloomtail, one of her brothers. Hooktail had assumed for a very long time now that he had fallen to Mario, but her human friend insisted that like her, he may have survived somehow. No one else in their right mind would have ever attempted to undertake such a ridiculously dangerous mission, except for Agon.

"What a noble human he is. He volunteered to look for my brother just to make me happy... Who else would do that for me?"

Hooktail smiled warmly to herself before wearing a look of concern: she was praying for his safety and the success of his mission.

* * *

"From one peculiar room to another... Just what I expected."

The short man arrived in a spacious, yet dark area with chain chomp statues, a series of bridges, and a moat-like stream surrounding a large three story tower in the middle. There was a cool breeze in the air, which was surprising, considering that he was underground. The tiled floor was made of aged stone and there were also lanterns dimly lit along the path while at the other end of the room was a door leading to a very long corridor.

"And it's almost pitch-black here... Great! At least the lanterns help somewhat." Agon said with heavy sarcasm, moving forward.

He had trouble walking normally, thanks to a cheap surprise attack from one of the Dry Bones that had feigned death. His left leg was badly injured as a result of his kneecap being pushed back toward the opposite direction, while he clutched his scorched right arm in pain. Agon was unlucky in avoiding some fire traps along the way, burning the armor off entirely and melting some bits of his flesh off.

To make matters worse, the entire right side of his head was busted open from some batlike creatures called Swoopulas trying to dig their fangs inside. Though he managed to fight them off, it meant forcibly pulling them off to prevent his blood from being siphoned out of him. Combined with the scuffle against the guard from earlier, it made things more difficult for Agon.

Limping his way to the door, he saw a lengthy red carpeted hallway with torches placed here and there. The beaten up human also saw the large opening that led to the deeper levels of the Palace, but he ignored that section as his prime objective was to find Gloomtail. Navigation wasn't easy as he had to edge his way through the corridor. He was constantly in danger of falling due to the thin ledge and his bent left knee did nothing to ease his travel. On occasion, his vision would fade in and out due to the blood leaking from his face.

The resolute twenty-six year old pressed on, fighting through or avoiding more undead Koopas and flaming embers before reaching the end of this extended corridor. He was more burnt and bruised than ever as he was practically toughing it out at this point. The young man wondered how he still had strength to keep going, even with these agonizing wounds.

"Here it is, the room that once contained the monstrous dragon, Gloomtail. Now I'll find out if he **did** survive or not... I just hope he isn't hungry for a fight, because I'm not." he said with a touch of trepidation.

He stood there for what seemed like hours; searching for a creature of mythology wasn't as easy as it sounded, nor was it typically wise to begin with. Finally, he mustered his courage and entered the sanctum of Gloomtail.

Sure enough, he was in an enormous hexagonal room with enough space to house a certain 50 foot dragon, like that of Hooktail's chamber back at the castle. Compared to the other sections of the Palace of Shadow, it was extremely dark here, the only source of light coming from a lone torch up ahead from Agon's point of view.

He surveyed whatever he was able to make out, noting the total silence in this interior until after a minute or so, the small man heard a shuffling noise. The sound came from above him: a massive silhouette in the shape of a dragon was hanging from the ceiling.

Moving out of harm's way, it landed on the floor with unexpected gentleness and, after close inspection, Agon saw that it was none other than Gloomtail himself. He was exactly like his sister Hooktail in terms of appearance, except that he had an onyx and lilac color scheme, plus a pair of crimson eyes.

"Who's there?!"

Agon said nothing, but merely waited as Gloomtail glared menacingly at him.

"No one's disturbed me here in eons! Not since that red plumber Mario and his crew!"

"..."

"Who dares defile this sacred place?!"

Agon continued his noiseless phase, staring at Gloomtail somewhat expressionlessly. He himself had no idea how he suddenly became fearless in the face of possible danger.

"Well, say something! You're awfully quiet for someone who is about to meet a terrible demise..."

He crossed his arms with some difficulty, maintaining the same look on his face. The black dragon was slightly bemused and thrown off by the man's initial attitude.

"Really? You're not even going to utter a single word or make a grunt or something like that? You must either be mute or you're very confident to come here and face me in battle, all alone."

"..."

"It's your move, mortal. What are you going to do?"

Agon thought for a long while, before an idea materialized in his mental process.

"Hooktail." was all he said to the huge dark beast.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" roared Gloomtail in utter bewilderment.

"She is your sister, yes?"

"That's right! How could you possibly know...?"

The twenty-six year old now grinned at him, amused by the reaction.

"I found her in Hooktail Castle. She's still alive and well."

"My precious baby sister, still living even after Mario defeated her?" said Gloomtail softly, becoming anxious upon the statement.

Agon nodded slowly.

"You came all the way here, just to tell me that?"

Again, the small human nodded.

"And you didn't harm her in anyway? You're not allied with the man in red and blue?"

He shook his head at both questions. After a short silence between the two, the gigantic black dragon's face broke into a warm smile.

"Then you are a friend to both I and my sister, human. What is your name?" he asked kindly.

"Agon Archibald Peters," the young man stated as he sat down, grimacing in heavy pain. "I came here to see if you were still alive. Looks like my guess was correct, and I also see that you've recovered from your wounds."

Gloomtail nodded in acknowledgment. His expression was cordial in comparison to the threatening look from earlier.

"Yes, I am still here, though I can't say the same for my mistress, the Shadow Queen."

"I'm aware of that. That does warrant a legitimate question: What were you doing here after she was defeated by Mario?"

"I've been here, slumbering in this room for an eternity. After the Queen had fallen, I didn't find any reason to do anything more, so I simply stayed here in isolation, wondering about my future," Gloomtail explained, sounding a bit forlorn. "I never even got the opportunity to see my siblings... I already accepted the fact that Bonetail was dead long ago, just resurrected by my mistress, but Hooktail on the other hand..."

"Yeah, don't worry about your dragon sister," assured Agon. "If it makes you feel any better, she misses you too."

Gloomtail chuckled lightly.

"Ha, ha, ha, I imagine Hooktail would like nothing more than to see her remaining brother in person. I never thought a being like you would concern yourself with our affairs..."

The short man clutched his head, dabbing at the bleeding holes made by the Swoopulas. He gritted his teeth as he wiped the dry fluid with his hand.

"I felt really bad for her. All she needed was a friend to be with, and after all that time spent in pure loneliness, how could I turn her away?" he said.

"That was a good deed from you then, human. If you are friends with my sister, so am I. She is in her castle, you say?"

"Should be. Before I made my way here, I told Hooktail to go back there. If the dragoness isn't in her lair, she's probably flying around the area."

The black mythological creature grunted in confirmation.

"How will you get out of here though? I'm not sure you'll be able to ram your way to the outside without damaging the town above." Agon questioned incredulously.

Gloomtail had an immediate answer.

"The wall with the torch, examine it. You should be able to find something there. Luckily, that fat head plumber didn't have the common sense to check this room for secrets."

The dark brown eyed human limped his way to said wall and pressed his hands all over, expecting to find a loose spot. Instead, the entire wall slowly raised up and revealed a single silver chest. Agon opened the container to obtain a large sphere with a murky image of Hooktail's castle and its surroundings. He guessed that this particular object was a teleportation device of some type. Moving back toward Gloomtail, he showed him the item.

"Ah, yes. A teleportation stone," the dark dragon said as Agon handed it over. "Judging by the picture seen here, it will take me to where I need to go. Are you going with me?"

Agon shook his head; the movement caused his vision to sway once again as he began to feel faint from the loss of blood. It took a great deal of effort to keep his speech coherent.

"...Worry about reuniting with your sister first. I'll... meet up... with both of you once I rest up for a bit."

Gloomtail hesitated for a few moments, disturbed by Agon's condition. After being told a few times to leave without him, he crushed the teleportation sphere with his giant foot. A brief, but intense white light surrounded the black dragon and instantly disappeared into nothing, along with him.

The man laid down, slowly feeling weaker from his wounds. His vision was getting fainter as he was trying to position himself comfortably. The effort of moving his injured leg had forced him to stay still while parts of his charred flesh was peeling away, none too gently. His breathing was almost at a stand-still as his heart rate continually decreased, deteriorating the human's overall health.

'_Where's a bloody medikit or megasphere when you need one?_' said Agon mentally, crunching his face in torment from his injuries. '_I'm bleeding horribly here... maybe even dying..._'

Realizing now that the injuries turned fatal, he could do nothing but lay there, while Death took its time in claiming another victim. To be taken into the underworld realm wasn't exactly what Agon would consider a relief, but on the other hand, he was suffering a drawn-out fate in this very dark room. He would rather have someone just kill him already to end the pain...

The twenty-six year old continued to lie still for several minutes, his breathing coming out in slow gasps as his head trauma acted up, only more profusely. His eyes were closing; everything felt cold around him, in his body, his mind, everywhere. Finally, Agon went to sleep, his entire figure ceasing to function. There was no noise or rattle or shaking, just the sight of a being who had died painfully...

* * *

Soundlessly and suddenly, a cloaked figure revealed itself in Gloomtail's sanctum: it was the golden fox from earlier, back at Rogueport. She stared at the dead corpse that was Agon and contemplated him for a moment's silence. The shadowy vixen's face was nearly concealed by her dark purple hood, but upon closer inspection, she could be seen wearing the tiniest look of grief. Thankfully, she had something for this situation...

The tall fox took out a ruby crystal heart, which was glowing radiantly as a sharp contrast to the almost pitch-black room. She placed it on top of Agon's blackened torso and waited; the object disappeared the instant it made contact as his entire body was engulfed in a dazzling flash of sanguine light. After the aura dissolved, all of his wounds were suddenly gone, as if they were never there to begin with. It had taken several seconds before the human stirred quietly, his eyes slowly opening back to life.

Agon saw the one who had resurrected him from Death; the golden fox took off her hood and revealed her face, her brilliant cobalt eyes staring at his dark brown ones tenderly. He was incapable of speech momentarily, wondering how this mysterious creature found her way here. Who was this and why did she save him?

"Are you okay?" she said, her soft voice echoing in the large room.

Agon merely nodded, extremely grateful, but somewhat scared at the same time.

"It's a good thing I managed to find you here. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to revive you."

He kept quiet, afraid to say anything now.

"Well, I was fortunate to have found that crystal then..." she went on. "Still, you have no protection on you and I'm positive that trying to go on your own now would be dangerous."

"..."

"Don't be intimidated by me, I'm not going to hurt you..." the golden fox said, assuring him. "I know I look ice cold at first, but I have a really kind personality inside."

"..."

Agon was still frightened of her appearance, eyeing the weapon fastened to her waist.

"You're wondering about the blade I've got here, aren't you? I won't cut you down with it, nor would I use my abilities to harm you. I'm not evil."

"...Thanks for saving me." the short man said meekly.

The tall vixen smiled at him and wrapped her fluffy tail around the human, comforting him.

"Who are you?" asked Agon with curiosity as he found himself eased by her affectionate action.

"I'm a digimon called Renamon. You can just refer to me as Rena for short, if you want."

"How did you get here? Were you following me the entire time?"

"Yes. I saw you dismount that huge red dragon in the docks and fight the guard in the square. Your black armor was also out of place for a town called Rogueport, so I figured you were here for something. And before you say anything, I was invisible, so you couldn't have seen me at all." explained Rena.

Agon was a bit surprised at how much she had known already, yet he had to complement her skill: the twenty-six year old never actually experienced that feeling of being watched.

"You're right about all that," he stated, his confidence coming back to him. "I was looking for another dragon named Gloomtail. I took it upon myself to reunite a lost brother and sister together, for they had not seen each other for an undetermined amount of time."

"That is very honorable of you. And where are they now?"

"The two of them should be at Hooktail Castle at this point. I was going to meet up with them, before I succumbed to my wounds. But tell me, what was your motive for following me?"

"I'll explain as much as I can after we get out of here from this foreboding place." she answered, now standing up straight and releasing her hold from Agon.

He nodded, not needing to be told again as he walked toward the door back into the lengthy corridor. Within only a few steps however, he was stopped by Rena grabbing his shoulders.

"I'll carry you out of here, human."

"I'm fine." said Agon firmly, trying to pry her hands off.

"Sure you are," she said sarcastically. "Trust me, it will be a lot faster if you would just work with me here."

Before he was allowed to protest, the human found himself lifted up and placed on her back effortlessly. Quickly realizing that she would not take no for an answer, he complied. Renamon advanced through the corridor, making her way back to the Rogueport Sewers. She moved at an incredibly fast pace while maintaining her invisibility state; Agon was genuinely impressed by this, wondering if it was a part of her ability. Because the two of them were well hidden, the enemies along the way weren't an issue.

* * *

It did not take very long before the duo surfaced from the underground areas to the dirty town of Rogueport. Still out of sight, the golden fox leaped the rooftops of buildings and exited from the eastern section, Agon holding on and miraculously not falling off. They were in between Rogueport and the Petalburg region as the dark brown eyed man searched the surroundings, mainly composed of clean cut grass, rocks and lush trees.

"How did you do all that?" he asked in amazement.

"Special abilities," answered Renamon. "It took many years before I finally mastered the power of invisibility, but my speed has always been a natural profession of mine."

"At least it's safe here. That place over there," Agon pointed to Hooktail Castle over yonder. "is where I need to go. It's a fair distance, but I should be fine from here. Travel safely."

He got off her back and began walking toward Petalburg, but was once again halted as Rena grabbed his left arm.

"I'm going with you."

"Well, I don't think that's -"

"No. I'm staying with you, whether you like it or not. I followed you for a reason." she said, interrupting Agon's sentence.

"I'm not sure you have the right person in mind," he responded, taking her hand off of his arm. "Besides, there's no need for you to start making obligations."

They gazed at each other awkwardly for several minutes before Agon suddenly began sprinting as fast as possible toward the small town of Petalburg. However, he didn't get far as Renamon literally appeared in front of him, causing the man to collide with her. She wrapped her arms around him, trapping Agon.

"You can't get away from me that easily. I can move a lot faster than you." Rena exclaimed, smirking at him playfully.

"Let go of me!" he burst out, attempting to wriggle himself free from her vice grip.

"...No."

She emphasized her answer by closing her thick tail around the small human. Combined with her height, which was around six feet or so, he would not be able to escape.

'_Truthfully, I'm enjoying this..._' he thought, feeling his face go red. '_But I gotta go see Hooktail and Gloomtail, just to make sure that they've met up safely. Hopefully, they're in Hooktail Castle now..._'

"I'll teleport the both of us to this 'Hooktail Castle' that you speak of." said Rena, apparently listening to his mind.

"Really now?" Agon's voice, leaking with skepticism, was muffled due to his head being pressed against her chest. "I find that hard to believe."

"I will demonstrate, then."

Within seconds, there was nothing but a luminous blue light around them. When the light dissipated, Agon saw the familiar structure that was the castle. Again, he was astonished by this new ability in addition to her quick speed and invisibility. Up in the sunset orange skies were the massive twin dragons flying together in circles, now reunited together. The teleportation stone had fulfilled its purpose successfully...

"So you can warp to other locations as well? Truly impressive." commented Agon in an astounding tone.

"Indeed, but I can only utilize this particular power outdoors. It's far more effective than walking here, wouldn't you agree?" she answered.

"Yes, and I guess this means I'm stuck with you now?"

She grinned at the human's half-exasperated, half-hopeful expression.

"You know the answer to that. Do not even try to get rid of me, because I will just find you again. Wherever you go, I go."

The slender vixen rushed at Agon and hugged him tightly, almost in an iron grip. He couldn't help but hug her back; this was the same Renamon that was both famous and infamous on the internet after all, plus her embrace felt really nice and warm.

What an interesting set of friends he had made... Two dragons that were apparently free of the Shadow Queen's evil influence and a rather attractive golden fox (a tall one at that) to which he had no clue of her origins or what a 'digimon' actually was. What the hell was she even doing here in a Mario setting? Oh well, Agon would learn to live with it in good time.

"To be honest, I liked you from the moment we met, though I wished it had been under better circumstances." he admitted quietly, resting his head against her midsection.

"I'm glad you feel that way about me," she said with care, having heard him despite the softness of his voice. "This may be an odd question to ask, but would you like to be my friend?"

Without hesitation, he accepted the offer: Hooktail and Gloomtail, being fifty foot or larger dragons, were already his friends, why not Renamon as well?

"Yes, I'd very much love that." said Agon happily.

And they continued to hold each other in the warm embrace, both joyful for this new beginning of a beautiful friendship. The two dragons watched them from above, smiling at the scene. They were proud of him for bringing them together and also happy for his new friend in yellow and purple. Two dragons, a humanoid fox and a human, it could all work out somehow. If anything, it would certainly make an interesting crew when the thrills of adventure called for them.

In other words, friendship, once you've found the right people, was a great thing to appreciate.

**(Well I guess, inadvertently, there is a moral to this story after all. Have you ever had a fictional character you liked, but possess no knowledge of said character? That was the case with Renamon in this situation, but I wanted her in this story so badly, so I added her in. It has no sense to it, I know. I envisioned her as an assassin, yet a guardian angel at the same time, if that makes any degree of sense. You may or may not see more of this kind of thing in the future. If you're a fan of her, maybe you might like this just for her being involved here.) **

**(This story is meant to be a direct sequel to Befriending a Dragon, mainly because I had the idea of Hooktail and Gloomtail being reunited as brother and sister.)**


End file.
